Vegetables for Babies (with 30+ Recipes) (2024)

Here are some quick, easy, and approachable ideas and recipes to add vegetables for babies six months and up!

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Best Vegetables for Babies
Don't Feel Overwhelmed!
How to Cook Vegetables for Babies
Vegetable Recipes for Babies
Formula-Based Cooking

Best Vegetables for Babies

What are the best vegetables for babies?

All vegetables are great sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and you should aim to introduce a variety early and often.

But if I had to provide a list, here are the top vegetables:
Beets
Bell peppers
Broccoli
Carrots
Green peas
Sweet potatoes
Winter squash (e.g. butternut squash, acorn squash)

What are the top iron rich vegetables for babies?

While they don't contain a whole lot compared to meat or plant-based iron-rich foods, these vegetables contain the highest amount:

Leafy greens (e.g. spinach, kale, collard greens)
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Green peas
MushroomsPotatoes (mostly concentrated in the skins)

Here are the TOP Iron Rich Foods for Babies

Are frozen vegetables OK for babies?

Absolutely! They are budget-friendly and convenient bc you don’t have to wash, peel, chop, etc., and won’t go bad before you can eat them.

They are also flash frozen within hours of being picked and thus can retain higher levels of some nutrients than fresh ones.

Should I introduce fruits or vegetables first?

Some recommend introducing babies to vegetables first since babies are innately drawn to sweet flavors. Otherwise, they will reject vegetables. Others say that offering well accepted foods, like fruits, first will help in the adjustment to solids better.

There isn’t evidence to show that your baby will not like vegetables if you start with fruits. Both are nutritious and provide nutrients that our babies need to grow.

So to answer this question, you don’t have to introduce foods in any particular order.

Here's a deep dive on this topic of fruits vs. vegetables for babies.

Don't Feel Overwhelmed!

Introducing babies to a wide variety of flavors and textured foods is important in helping shape their food preferences and eating habits.

For this post, I'm focusing on vegetables because it's one of, if not, the main food groups that parents struggle with getting their child to eat.

Exposing them to variety from early on can really help increase acceptance and likeability for them as they continue to grow.

This doesn't mean that you have to introduce a different vegetable every single day or at every meal! I'm sharing my approach in hopes that it will help make this important task less daunting and absolutely achievable!

How to Cook Vegetables for Babies

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When we first started our baby led weaning journey, I simply offered soft-cooked, finger-shaped vegetables seasoned with various herbs/spices.

I remember seeing all these pictures of babies being served mini veggie-loaded frittata, muffins, pancakes, and all kinds of “fancy” concoctions, and I just didn’t have the time or the mental energy to do that at the time.

But steaming, roasting, or steam roasting vegetables so that they’re easily smooshable with my fingers and finger-shaped (about 1.5 times as long as baby’s fist)....Now THAT I could do.

Check out my "How To Series" for guidance on how to cook a specific vegetable.

If you’re anything like me, take baby steps! And as you become more comfortable and efficient, you will gradually build the foundational habits necessary. After all, we’re going to be feeding our kids for a VERY long time.

If you need more specific guidance,

Meal Prep Suggestions

Once I started to find my footing, slowly got over the fear of choking, learned to trust my baby’s innate ability to work through foods, among many other things, I began to incorporate the vegetables in different ways.

Here’s my workflow that continues to serve me well:

Meal Plan for the week. I don’t plan every single meal and snack. Instead, I come up with 2 main meals and 2 baked goods that I commit to making. For the rest of the meals, I utilize leftovers and whatever pantry meals I can whip up easily (think quesadillas, fried rice, stir-fry, etc.).
Go grocery shopping.
Cook a large batch of vegetables to enjoy throughout the week. I normally do this once every 3-4 days or so.
Use those same vegetables in various ways to invite variety. I walk you through how to do this in my "Subtract, Multiply, Diversity" FREE 5-day series mentioned above. Since they’re already cooked, it doesn't take much additional time and effort to throw them into snacks/meals.

Vegetable Recipes for Babies

Here are some examples from the actual meals I served to my baby C. I say recipes but a lot of them are ideas and inspirations that you can easily incorporate into your baby (and toddler's) diet.

Not only will you be exposing your baby to more variety but will also be helping improve fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Mashed vegetables

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Cook the vegetables and simply mash with a fork. You can serve alone or mixed in with other foods, like avocado, minced meat, oatmeal, yogurt, ground nuts or seeds, beans, lentils, fruits, or other vegetables!

Let them go at it with their hands. Getting messy is an important part of self-feeding. But bless your heart. Things will be hairy for a while. You have been warned ;).

Minced/Chopped vegetables

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Finely chop the cooked vegetables and add to:

Homemade Baby Oatmeal

Learn how to cook the perfect oatmeal for baby. It's easy, fast, and customizable! Serve as is or as a finger food, baby led weaning style.

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Soft Scrambled Eggs for Baby

Here's how to make soft and fluffy scrambled eggs every time as well as fun variations to incorporate more variety into your child's diet!

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Baked Veggie Nuggets

These baked veggie nuggets are an easy and fun way to get more vegetables into your child's diet! Made with four vegetables, they are perfect for lunch or snack!

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Vegetable Omelette

Nutritious and easy to make, this baby-friendly omelette made with whatever veggies you have on hand is the perfect breakfast/snack for babies and toddlers!

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Vegetable dips and sauces

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Serve as is and have your baby scoop with their hands or preload onto a spoon and hand it to them (really love these). You can also pour over pasta, grains, bread, or cooked vegetables!

Here are some recipes to try:

Zucchini Pesto with Almonds

Upgrade pasta with this simple and healthy zucchini pesto. It is light and creamy and can be ready in 15 minutes!

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Broccoli Hummus Dip

If your child won't eat broccoli or you've been looking for different ways to serve it, give this hummus a try! It's also a great way to pack in a lot of nutrition for babies and kids.

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Beetroot Pesto Pasta Sauce

Madewith simple, wholesome ingredients, this beetroot pesto comes together in minutes and makes for the perfect pasta sauce for babies, kids, and adults!

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Creamy Greek Yogurt Black Bean Dip

This healthy, creamy Greek yogurt black bean dip is super easy to make involving zero prep time. It's a great way to encourage your picky eater to eat vegetables.

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Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Dip

This creamy roasted cauliflower dip made with an ENTIRE head of cauliflower, tahini, and milk is super simple to make, delicious, and versatile. It will be an AWESOME way to make veggies exciting for kids!

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Broccoli Pesto Pasta

Thirty minutes or less is all it takes to make this creamy broccoli pesto pasta. You can also save this bright, flavorful green pesto to enjoy with sandwiches, vegetables, salads, and so much more!

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Veggie-loaded baked goods

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Muffins, frittatas, meatballs, quiche, breads, cookies...I definitely did a TON of baking. I have a feeling you will too.

Here are some readers' favorites:

3 Ingredient Baby Cookies

3 ingredients are all you need to make these soft and delicious vegan banana oatmeal cookies. They are the perfect breakfast or snack for babies!

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Spinach Pancakes

These spinach pancakes are super easy to make with just a handful of wholesome ingredients. These dye free green pancakes are the perfect finger food for babies and toddlers, especially!

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Baked Breakfast Quinoa with Zucchini

This vegan quinoa bake with zucchini is a delicious way to serve quinoa to babies and kids. It's also an easy opportunity to add variety to their breakfast or snack!

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Carrot Zucchini Muffins (with avocado)

Made with healthy fats, vegetables, and no added sugar, these carrot zucchini muffins they will keep you and your child happy and nourished.

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Moist Spinach Muffins

These healthy spinach muffins with banana are fluffy and moist in texture and packed with nutrition. They are perfect for babies and kids.

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Vegan vegetable quinoa muffins

Made with healthy ingredients like broccoli, carrots, and quinoa, these egg and dairy-free vegetable muffins with quinoa are perfect for baby led weaning and school lunchboxes.

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Healthy Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

These incredibly moist, carrot oatmeal muffins are packed with nutrition and sweetened with fruit only. They are a delicious and healthy way to get more fruits and vegetables into your baby or toddler!

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Healthy Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies

These zucchini oatmeal cookies are so easy to make with wholesome, minimal ingredients and no added sugar!

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Mini crustless quiche

Packed with protein and vegetables, this mini crustless quiche is so easy to make! Enjoy as a make-ahead breakfast, snack, or pack for lunch boxes.

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Kid-friendly Turkey Beet Meatballs

These oven-baked turkey beet meatballs are quick and easy to prepare, healthy, and most importantly baby and toddler approved!

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Turkey Meatballs with rice

These oven bakedkid-friendly turkey and rice meatballs are the perfect iron-rich finger food for your baby, children of all ages, and adults!

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Baked Quinoa and Mushroom Beef Meatballs

baked meatballs made with ground beef, mushroom, and quinoa. It's the ultimate comfort food that can be enjoyed as is or with pasta, vegetables, salads

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Mini Baked Canned Salmon Patties

These mini baked salmon patties with canned salmon are packed with vegetables and full of flavor! Perfect for baby led weaning!

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Baby Led Weaning Family Meals

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One meal for the whole family! That's the goal! Depending on your baby's age and developmental skills, you'll need to make some adjustments.

First, instead of cooking with salt, flavor with herbs/spices. Look for low- or no-salt-added products, like canned tomatoes, beans, stock, etc. Limit packaged foods. Also limit sugar.

Slow cooker or pressure cooker meals are so great! Everything comes out soft and moist and super flavorful with minimal effort.

Deconstructed tacos/sandwiches. Serve all the components, including vegetables, separately.

Casseroles. They're sticky and easy for babies to scoop with their hands and also a great way to pack in so many vegetables.

One Pot Meals. My e-cookbook One Pot Meals is filled with baby-friendly family meals with no added salt and sugar but plenty flavorful for the entire family to enjoy.

Here are 30+ Easy Dinner Recipes for babies and toddlers

Formula-Based Cooking

Now there are so many wonderful recipes out there that you can try. But what if I told you that you could easily whip up any veggie-loaded baby-friendly foods with the ingredients you have on hand without relying so heavily on recipes?

Enter formula-based cooking.

What does this approach to cooking accomplish?

Saves you time
Helps you learn to use up everything in your fridge and pantry in yummy and creative ways
Reduces food waste
Less reliance on pre-packaged items
Teaches you to easily build flavor with spices, oils, vinegars, etc. I promise this skill will come the more you experiment with these flavoring agents.
Stimulates creativity
Boosts confidence
Makes offering variety fun and totally doable!

In my e-cookbook, "Veggie-Centered Delights," you’ll find basic formulas for whipping up veggie-loaded:

Bean Dips
Yogurt Dips
Smoothies
Tots/nuggets
One Pot Pasta

I provide you with specific serving sizes/quantities for all the individual components as well as recipes for each category to help get you started! But you don’t need to follow it to a T. Once you get comfortable, you can add a little more of this or a little less of that depending on your preference.These formulas are very flexible and forgiving.

What do you have in your fridge or pantry? Using my basic formulas, you will be able to whip up something amazing out of ingredients you may have never thought to combine!

Find out more!